Aerosol container cap

ABSTRACT

A cap for use on an aerosol container having a dispensing valve secured to a central portion of an upper wall, with an outwardly protruding rim with and inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve. The cap has a top wall with a peripheral edge, and an outer skirt depending from the peripheral edge. The cap also has a segmented inner skirt depending from the top wall within the outer skirt having a plurality of inwardly projecting tangs on a bottom edge of some of the inner skirt segments engaging the inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve. The segments having the tangs are connected to the central portion of the upper wall so that a downward force applied to the upper wall central portion causes the tangs to disengage from the inward radial recess to permit removal of the cap. The cap upper wall central portion can have more than one stable position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to caps used on pressurized aerosol dispensing containers to protect the dispensing valve prior to use. The present invention relates particularly to such caps used on aerosol dispensing containers in which the cap engages an outwardly protruding rim around the dispensing valve. The caps of the present invention are intended to function as safety caps that cannot easily be removed from such containers by children or those not instructed in the method of removing the caps, yet require no tools for removal.

Many products of widely varying natures are packaged in aerosol containers due primarily to the ease with which the products can be dispensed. Dispensing is normally achieved by depressing a spray head or other dispensing device which opens a valve to dispense the product that is under pressure within the container. A cap covering the dispensing device and valve assembly protects the dispensing device and valve assembly from damage and prevents premature dispensing of the contents of the container. The cap must be removed prior to dispensing the contents of the aerosol container. If the removal of the cap is too difficult, the public may elect not to purchase the product having such a cap, and instead select competing products.

If the removal of the cap is too easily achieved, the desirable attributes of the cap are largely lost, often leading to unauthorized dispensing of products prior to purchase. The unauthorized testing of aerosol containers frequently results in a tested container becoming unacceptable for subsequent sale due to depletion of the product, attendant damage and/or visual signs of prior use. A related problem of preventing unauthorized dispensing of potentially harmful products by children is particularly acute.

Mead, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,607 discloses a safety overcap particularly for use on pressurized containers that include a finger operated spray valve. The overcap basically comprises an hollow inner shell or member detachably fastenable over the spray nozzle, and an outer shell having an inverted cup shape, which is disposed about the inner shell. The overcap is released from the container responsive to force applied selectively to the outer shell, which distorts or deforms the inner shell in such a manner as to effect such release. The release force is translated from the outer shell to the inner shell by use of radially aligned webs or struts which connect therebetween at strategically defined regions. Slots or openings which extend upwardly from the lower lip of the inner shell distort or “spread” in response to forces applied to the outer shell thereby assisting to release the overcap from the container. However, if the release force is applied in a non-prescribed manner, the openings, assisted by the force translating means, contract or narrow thereby tightening the overcap on the container, which may enhance safety but makes use of the product less than completely satisfactory.

Green et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,751 discloses a safety overcap for a dispensing container including a top member having an annular portion, a resilient and flexible central portion, and a skirt depending from a peripheral edge of the top member. Arms depend from the central portion, the arms having at their lower end locking means adapted to engage a protruding rim of the cup member of the container. Web means connect the arms to the outer peripheral portion of the overcap. The arms are connected to the central portion of the top member and are movable away from the center of the overcap with sufficient depression of the central portion. The overcap can be removed from the container by depressing the central portion to cause deformation of the surrounding skirt and the arms to move away from and the locking means to disengage the rim of the container. The force necessary to remove the overcap from the dispensing container can be so large that removal is rendered very difficult.

A further complication arises from the fact that there are significant variations in the size of the protruding rim that secures the dispensing valve to the top of the aerosol container. These variations can arise due to differences in specifications and designs of the tooling used to form the connection between the dispensing valve and the aerosol container top, dissimilarity of the size of the dispensing valve itself, and deviations in the thickness of the metal forming the dispensing valve and container top wall. The variations are sufficiently large that conventional tops that will fit on one container will not be able to fit onto another container, and will fall off still another container.

What is needed is a cap for use on pressurized aerosol dispensing containers to protect the dispensing valve mechanism that is easily and conveniently removed without any need of a tool by anyone familiar with the cap disengagement method, or anyone capable of reading simple instructions printed on the aerosol container. The cap is desirably of single piece construction that can be easily molded of plastic. The cap is also desirably reusable so that a container can be protected by a purchaser subsequent to partial use of the contents of the container. The cap is also one that is compatible with existing aerosol container designs and tolerates some range of variation in dimension of the container, particularly the outwardly protruding rim surrounding the dispensing valve.

SUMMARY

These several needs are satisfied by a cap, which is intended to be used on a pressurized aerosol dispensing container having a side wall, an upper wall joined to the side wall at an upstanding rim, a dispensing valve secured to a central portion of the upper wall by a protruding rim with an inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve. The cap itself has a top wall. The top wall has a central portion that can be domed and a peripheral portion having a peripheral edge. The central portion and the peripheral portion can be joined to each other by a connecting portion. The connecting portion can define a surface which is not coplanar with the peripheral portion. An outer skirt depends from the peripheral edge to a lowermost edge that can be situated within the container upstanding rim. The cap also has an inner skirt that depends from the top wall within the outer skirt. The inner skirt is segmented with some of the inner skirt segments having inwardly projecting tangs on a bottom edge that can engage the inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve to retain the cap on the container. Some other segments of the inner skirt are stabilized so that they can resist a downward displacement of the connecting portion under the influence of an externally imposed force on the cap central portion.

The stabilization of the other segments of the inner skirt can be achieved by stabilizing webs connecting the other segments to the top wall peripheral portion. The stabilizing webs can extend outwardly sufficiently to join the outer skirt so that the other segments of the inner skirt are maintained at a constant distance from the outer skirt. Active webs connect the top wall central portion to the inner skirt segments having the inwardly projecting tangs. A downward force on the top wall central portion of the cap can cause displacement of the active webs and corresponding inner skirt segments having the inwardly projecting tangs. A downward force of sufficient magnitude on the top wall central portion can cause the inwardly projecting tangs to move away from the inward radial recess, thereby allowing the cap to be removed from the aerosol dispensing container. The downward force that is sufficient to permit removal of the cap from the aerosol dispensing container is still small enough that no deformation of the top wall peripheral portion or the outer skirt occurs during cap removal.

In one embodiment, the top wall central portion can have two stable positions. In a first position the top wall central portion is upwardly domed and the inner skirt segments having the inwardly projecting tangs are positioned to retain the cap on the container. In a second position the top wall central portion is downwardly domed and the inner skirt segments having the inwardly projecting tangs are situated so that the cap is released from the container. The top wall central portion can be moved from the first stable position by a downward force of sufficient magnitude on the top wall central portion to cause the top wall central portion to move through an intermediate instable “over center” to the second stable position. This downward movement of the top wall central portion can be accompanied by an audible “pop” indicating that the inner skirt segments having the inwardly projecting tangs have moved away from the inward radial recess surrounding the container valve, thereby allowing the cap to be removed from the aerosol dispensing container.

The peripheral edge of the top wall of the cap can be fashioned to reflect the side wall geometry of the container on which the cap is to be employed. That is, if the cap is to be used on an aerosol container having a cylindrical side wall, the peripheral edge of the top wall can be circular so that the lowermost edge of the depending outer skirt will fit within the upstanding rim connecting the aerosol container side wall to the container upper wall. The inwardly projecting tangs can occupy the entire width of the movable inner skirt segments or can be situated on only a specific portion of the movable inner skirt segments such as at the center of the lowermost edge of each movable inner skirt segment. The relative vertical dimensions of the inner and outer skirt can be determined in part by the geometry of the container upper wall with which the cap is intended to be used. Where the container upper wall is domed, the inner skirt will generally be shorter than the outer skirt. The lower most edge of the outer skirt can lie in a plane that is parallel to the cap top wall.

One feature of such a cap is the security with which the cap is retained on the container by virtue of the engagement of the plurality of inwardly projecting tangs that are spaced around the periphery of the dispensing valve. The presence of the inwardly projecting tangs on independent segments, which can be flexed radially outwardly, allows the cap to tolerate some range of variation in dimension of the container dispensing valve that can arise due to normal variations in specifications from one container manufacturer to the next. Another feature of such a cap is the connecting portion surrounding the top wall central portion and joining the top wall central portion to the top wall peripheral portion so that the cap is easily removed from the container by applying a modest force to the central portion of the top wall to cause an outward displacement of the inner skirt segments carrying the inwardly projecting tangs, thereby allowing the cap to be removed from the aerosol dispensing container without deforming the top wall peripheral portion or the outer skirt.

Other features of the present aerosol container caps and the corresponding advantages of those features will be come apparent from the following discussion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, exemplifying the best mode of practicing the present invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of an aerosol container cap of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the interior of the aerosol container cap shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cap shown in the previous Figures.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the cap shown in the previous Figures showing the direction of movement of the tabs when disengaging from an aerosol container.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cap taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the cap taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cap identical to FIG. 5 with the cap installed on an aerosol container.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the cap identical to FIG. 7 with a releasing force being applied to the center portion of the cap.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the cap identical to FIG. 7 after application of sufficient releasing force to cause the center portion of the cap to pass over-center through an intermediate unstable position shown in FIG. 8 to a stable release position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An aerosol container cap 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 through 6 to have a top wall 12 with a peripheral edge 14. The peripheral edge 14 can be radially symmetric about and axis X. An outer skirt 16 depends from the peripheral edge 14. The outer skirt 16 can extend from the peripheral edge 14 generally parallel to axis X to a lowermost edge 18. The lowermost edge 18 can be situated in a plane parallel to the top wall 12 and perpendicular to the axis X. Thus, the outer skirt 16 can be in the form of a right circular cylinder that is symmetric about the axis X. The outer skirt 16 can have other shapes, not shown, that can be matched to the perimeter shape of a given aerosol container. The top wall 12 is shown to have a central portion 20 that is domed and a peripheral portion 22 extending outward to the peripheral edge 14. The central portion 20 and the peripheral portion 22 are shown to be joined to each other by a connecting portion 24. The connecting portion 24 is shown in particular in FIGS. 5 and 6 to define a surface which is not coplanar with the peripheral portion 22.

The cap 10 also has an inner skirt 26 that can depend generally parallel to axis x from the top wall 12 within the outer skirt 16. The inner skirt 26 is shown to consist of a plurality of independent segments 28 and 30. Outwardly extending webs 32 connect the segments 28 of the inner skirt to the outer skirt 16. The outwardly extending webs 32 are shown to connect to the lateral edges 34 and 36 of the segments 28, but the webs 32 could be positioned at other locations between the segment 28 and the outer skirt 16. Further, while the illustrated cap 10 has two webs 32 connected to each segment 28, only one or more than two webs 32 are also contemplated. Additionally, the webs 32 are illustrated to have a lower edge 38 that is coplanar with the lower edge 40 of the inner skirt segments 28, but the web lower edge 38 could be positioned above the illustrated position, and could be inclined or curved upwardly or downwardly from the segment 28. The webs 32 stabilize the position of the inner skirt segments 28 with respect to the outer skirt 16. Inwardly extending webs 42 connect the segments 30 to the top wall central portion 20. The segments 30 include inwardly projecting tangs 44. The tangs 44 are generally situated at the lower edge 46 of the inner skirt segments 30. Unlike the inner skirt segments 28, the lower edge 46 of the inner skirt segments 30 are able to move outwardly in the direction of arrows A seen in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a typical prior art aerosol container 50 on which the cap 10 of the present invention can be installed. The container 50 has a side wall 52 and an upper wall 54 joined to the side wall 50 at an upstanding rim 56. The upper wall 54 is commonly upwardly domed in shape. A dispensing valve 58 is typically secured to a central portion 60 of the upper wall 54. A nozzle 62 is coupled to the dispensing valve 58 to permit controlled release of the contents of the container 50. An outwardly protruding rim 64 typically surrounds the dispensing valve 58. The rim 64 is typically underscored by an inward radial recess 66. However, the diameter of the dispensing valve 58 and rim 64 and the depth of the inward radial recess 66 can be subject to some significant variation.

A cap 10 of suitable dimension can be installed on an aerosol container 50 as shown in FIG. 7. The length and diameter of the outer skirt 16 can be selected so that the lowermost edge 18 can be situated within the upstanding rim 56 of the container 50. The length of the skirt can be such that the lowermost edge 18 abuts the upper wall 54 of the container 50. The inner skirt 26 can have a length such that the bottom edges 40 of segments 28 are situated adjacent to the upper wall 54 of the container 50. The geometry of the upper wall 54 of the container 50 can be such that the bottom edges 40 of the segments 28 abut the upper wall 58. The size of the inner skirt 26 can be selected so that the inwardly projecting tangs 44 on the bottom edge 46 of the flexible segments 30 of the inner skirt 26 engage the inward radial recess 66 surrounding the dispensing valve 58 to secure the cap 10 to the container 50. The engagement of a plurality of the inwardly projecting tangs 44 in the inward radial recess 66 assures stable retention of the cap 10 on the container 50. The flexibility of the segments 30 and the size of the inwardly projecting tangs 44 allows the cap 10 to tolerate some range of variation in dimension of the container dispensing valve 58 that can arise due to normal variations in specifications from one container manufacturer to the next.

To remove the cap 10 from the container 50, a downward force F is applied to the central portion 20 of the top wall 12 for example as shown in FIG. 8. The downward force can cause the center of the central portion 20 to move downward, which also causes the inner ends of inwardly extending webs 42 to move downward. This downward motion causes a rotation or pivoting of the webs 42 and corresponding segments 30 about the connecting portion 24 of the cap 10. If the downward force is sufficient, the movement of the segments 30 can be sufficient to move the inwardly projecting tangs 44 out of the inward radial recess 66 so that the cap 10 can be lifted vertically away from the container 50 to expose the dispensing valve 58. The downward force necessary to remove the cap 10 is generally sufficiently modest that the outward displacement of the inner skirt segments 30 carrying the inwardly projecting tangs 44, thereby allowing the cap 10 to be removed from the aerosol dispensing container 50, can be achieved without deforming the top wall peripheral portion 22 or the outer skirt 16.

The top wall central portion 20 can have two stable positions. In a first position, shown in FIG. 7, the top wall central portion 20 is upwardly domed and the inner skirt segments 30 having the inwardly projecting tangs 44 are positioned to retain the cap 10 on the container 50. In a second position, shown in FIG. 9, the top wall central portion 20 is downwardly domed and the inner skirt segments 30 having the inwardly projecting tangs 44 are situated so that the cap is no longer retained on the container by the tangs 44. The top wall central portion 20 can be moved from the first stable position, shown in FIG. 7, by a downward force of sufficient magnitude to cause the top wall central portion 20 to move through an intermediate instable position, shown in FIG. 8, “over center” to the second stable position, shown in FIG. 9. This downward movement of the top wall central portion 20 can be accompanied by an audible “pop” indicating that the inner skirt segments 30 having the inwardly projecting tangs 44 have moved away from the inward radial recess 66 surrounding the container valve 64, thereby allowing the cap 10 to be removed from the aerosol dispensing container 50.

While these features have been disclosed in connection with the illustrated preferred embodiment, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art that come within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. An aerosol container cap comprising: a top wall having a central portion, a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, and a connecting portion connecting the peripheral portion to an outer margin of the central portion, the connecting portion defining a surface which is non-coplanar with the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion having an outer peripheral edge; an outer skirt depending from the peripheral portion outer peripheral edge to a lowermost edge; and a segmented inner skirt depending from the outer margin of the top wall central portion within the outer skirt, the segmented inner skirt having a plurality of first portions and a plurality of second portions, the first and second portions being situated alternately around the inner skirt, at least one outwardly extending web connecting each of the inner skirt first portions to the outer skirt, an inwardly extending web connecting each of the inner skirt second portions to the top wall central portion, a bottom edge of each of the inner skirt second portions including an inwardly projecting tang.
 2. The aerosol container cap of claim 1 wherein the top wall outer peripheral edge is circular and the outer skirt depending from the peripheral edge is cylindrical.
 3. The aerosol container cap of claim 2 wherein the top wall outer peripheral portion is planar.
 4. The aerosol container cap of claim 1 wherein the top wall connecting portion defined surface is non-coplanar with the central portion.
 5. The aerosol container cap of claim 4 the top wall connecting portion defined surface comprises an inverted conical segment.
 6. The aerosol container cap of claim 1 wherein the top wall central portion is upwardly domed.
 7. The aerosol container cap of claim 6 wherein the top wall central portion is displaceable to a stable downwardly domed location.
 8. The aerosol container cap of claim 1 wherein the at least one outwardly extending web comprises two non-parallel webs extending outward from the ends of each inner skirt first portion to the outer skirt.
 9. An aerosol container cap comprising: a top wall including: a central portion having an outer margin, a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion having an inner margin and an outer peripheral edge, and a connecting portion connecting the peripheral portion inner margin to the central portion outer margin, the connecting portion defining a hinge between the central portion and the peripheral portion, the peripheral portion; an outer skirt depending from the peripheral portion outer peripheral edge to a lowermost edge adapted to contact an upper surface of any aerosol container on which the cap is installed; and a segmented inner skirt depending from the outer margin of the top wall central portion within the outer skirt to a lower edge, the segmented inner skirt having a plurality of first portions and a plurality of second portions, the first and second portions being situated alternately around the inner skirt, at least one outwardly extending web connecting each of the inner skirt first portions to the outer skirt, each of the inner skirt second portions including an inwardly projecting tang on a bottom edge adapted to engage a feature of any aerosol container on which the cap is installed to inhibit removal of the cap, and an inwardly extending web connecting each of the inner skirt second portions to the top wall central portion so that downward pressure on the top wall central portion will cause outward displacement of the inner skirt second portions sufficiently to disengage the inwardly projecting tang from any engaged feature, thereby facilitating removal of the cap.
 10. The aerosol container cap of claim 9 wherein the segmented inner skirt comprises at least three inner skirt second portions and at least three tangs project inwardly at positions equally spaced around the bottom edge of the inner skirt.
 11. The aerosol container cap of claim 10 wherein the at least one outwardly extending web comprises two non-parallel webs extending outward from the ends of each inner skirt first portion to the outer skirt.
 12. The aerosol container cap of claim 9 wherein the outwardly extending webs join the outer skirt to the top wall peripheral portion sufficiently to prevent deformation of the outer skirt during any application of downward pressure on the top wall central portion.
 13. The aerosol container cap of claim 9 wherein the lowermost edge of the outer skirt is situated at a greater distance from the top wall than is the bottom edge of the inner skirt.
 14. The aerosol container cap of claim 9 wherein the top wall peripheral edge is circular, the outer skirt depending from the peripheral edge is cylindrical, and the lowermost edge of the outer skirt lies in a plane parallel to the top wall.
 15. The aerosol container cap of claim 9 wherein the top wall central portion is domed and is displaceable between a first stable upwardly domed position, wherein the tangs on the inner skirt second portions are in an engaging location, and a second stable downwardly domed position, wherein the tangs on the inner skirt second portions are in a non-engaging location.
 16. An aerosol container and cap combination, the container comprising a side wall, an upper wall joined to the side wall at an upstanding rim, a dispensing valve secured to a central portion of the upper wall, and an outwardly protruding rim having an inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve, the cap comprising a top wall having a central portion with an outer margin, and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion having an inner margin and an outer peripheral edge, an outer skirt depending from the peripheral edge to a lowermost edge situated within the container upstanding rim, and a segmented inner skirt depending from the top wall within the outer margin of the central portion, inwardly projecting tangs on a bottom edge of some of the segments of the segmented skirt engaging the inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve, at least one inwardly extending web connecting the top wall central portion to each of the inner skirt segments that have inwardly projecting tangs so that suitable downward pressure on the upper wall central portion causes outward deflection of the inwardly projecting tangs a sufficient distance to release at least one of the inwardly projecting tangs from the inward radial recess.
 17. The combination of claim 16 wherein the container upstanding rim is circular and the cap outer skirt is cylindrical.
 18. The combination of claim 16 further comprising webs joining the top wall peripheral portion to some of the inner skirt segments not having said inwardly projecting tangs to stabilize the position of the skirt segments during application of said downward pressure.
 19. The combination of claim 18 wherein the webs joining the top wall peripheral portion extend outward to join the outer skirt for added stability during application of said downward pressure.
 20. The combination of claim 19 wherein the top wall central portion is domed and is displaceable between a first stable upwardly domed position, wherein the tangs on the inner skirt second portions are engaged in the inward radial recess surrounding the dispensing valve, and a second stable downwardly domed position, wherein the tangs on the inner skirt second portions are displaced outward from the inward radial recess so that the cap can be removed. 